Wall tie



May 21, 1946. ANER MAY I 2,400,610

WALL I ii A v I I INVENTOR WILLIAM VANDER MAY Patented May 21, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE WALL TIE William Vander May, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application May 3, 1945, Serial No. 591,751

6 Claims.

This invention refers to tying means for a pair of walls and particularly to the type thereof permitting lateral relative movement between said pair of walls.

In certain types of building constructions it often happens that a, pair of masonry walls are constructed closely together, and are mutually supported by each other, but under conditions which cause them to move from time to time laterally with respect to each other. A frequent example of this is in the construction of large furnaces, wherein the main walls of the furnace are constructed of one type of brick and the fire resistant lining of the furnace is constructed of another type of brick. The two kinds of brick thus involved have different coefficients of expansion and therefore will expand at different rates as the furnace is heated. Further, the fire-brick lining being directly exposed to the furnace heat will become much hotter than the main walls of the furnace and Will for this reason also expand differently than the outer walls. A reverse situation occurs when the furnace cools. Due then, to these differences in both rates and amounts of expansion, the main walls of the furnace and the fire-brick lining will move laterally with respect to each other. While this motion is not usually of any great extent, it is accompanied by great forces. Ordinary bolts, even of considerable size, which are used to tie these walls together are often found sheared off at the boundary between the walls.

Similar situations occur Where a masonry wall is tied to and supported by steel girders or beams. Since the masonry and the steel will have widely different coefiicients of expansion, even ordinary diurnal temperature changes will often cause a substantial amount of relative lateral movement. In various other phases of furnace, building, or other similar construction, it is necessary to hold together elements undergoing different amounts of expansion or contraction and the same problem arises.

Although several attempts have been made to provide tying means for situations of this sort, insofar as I am aware none of them have been entirely satisfactory. Some of them require a considerable space to exit between the two elements. For these, in the case of furnace, their use is limited only to those conditions where it is desirable to have a cooling stream of air pass between the walls, or for some other reason it is permissible to space these walls a substantial distance apart. Other kinds of tying means rely on flexibility to permit the lateral motion above mentioned and in doing so often sacrifice a great deal of strength.

It is accordingly desirable to provide tying means for a pair of dissimilarly expanding or contracting elements Which will permit a small amount of lateral relative movement between said elements and which will require only a small space between them. It is further desirable that said means be such that in the case particularly of masonry walls, the two elements can be placed in contact with each other with only a small amount of additional effort in installation and without impairing the action of the tying means.

Accordingly, the princpal object of my invention is to provide means for tying two adjacent dissimilarly expanding and for contracting elements together, which means will permit a small amount of lateral relative motion between the said two elements.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tying means for a pair of elements as aforesaid, such as walls, which will permit said elements to be closely adjacent each other.

A further object of my invention is toprovide a tying means as aforesaid which will permit said two elements to be in contact with each other without impairingrthe action of theportion of said means having the lateral relative movement.

A further object of my invention is to provide tying means as aforesaid which are simple, sturdy and capable of economical manufacture.

A further object of my invention is to provide tying means as aforesaid which is capable of easy modification for application to awide variety of situations.

Further and similar objects and purposes of my invention will be apparent to those acquainted with this type of device upon the reading of the following specification and inspection of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in central section of my improved tying means applied to a pair of walls Figure 2 is a section taken on the line IIIi of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line IIIIII of Figure 1. a v I The construction of my device is simple and may be readily understood. In Figure 1 there is shown masonry wall I spaced a small distance from the masonry wall 2. The intermediate space 3 will of course vary in magnitude with the size of the installation but a space of the order of about one inch will be ample for most ordinary somewhatilarger than the *rod -I'2. 'oircularchamber 1 there is located a circular plate-H 'WhiCh fits-"'closely-against*the walls of ;said chamber so that'there can'be no motion of said plate in -a-'directi0n parallel to :the axis of the rod-9 but there is permitted free limited motion of *said plate in any direction perpendicular to said axis.

cases. The openings 4 and 5 are provided through the walls I and 2 respectively for receivdevice. These openings will often, but not necessarily, exist as a trough in one course of bricks into which the tying rods are laid and then covered by another course of bricks. They may extend all of the way through a wall asshown, or, as in the case of a fire brick furnace lining,

the opening willgo' only partwaythrough the ing the tying rods of the hereinafter described fire brick in order to leave some masonry to protect the metal parts from the furnace heat.

The rod 9 extending through the opening A in the masonry wall I is made in Whatever length is required by the thickness of said wall. At the end remote from the intermediate:spacefiithere is provided a cross member l i. which-may,be a bar, a disk, a pivoted arm or any other conventional means suitable for bearing againststhe surface of the wall or engaging an internal opening 'withinthe wall. The otherien'd -of "said rod is. firmly fixed into thecenter'ofra circular disk 6. A cup-shaped :memberfi cooperates with the diskfi to'provide a 'circularchamber I. 'The'disk 6 and the cup-shapedimember' 8-are firmly fastened together in any convenient-manner, asby welding, :brazing, or other 'suitable -means for holding the parts tightly-against separation.

the bottom of the cup-shaped "member 4.! there is provided a circular opening *I 6 of size Fixed firmly to the center of -said plate-isthe tyingrod l2. This'ext ends through the opening "5-in the wall 2 andhas=at-its-end remote from the disk H any-suitable holding means-l3,=which holding means will beconventional and selected to -provide*whatever is needed to *meet the =re q1iirement of a-particular installation,

- -A's the device is installed the disk li' will'be located substantially-in the: center of the circular chamber I. In'the form of the device :shown in the drawing Where the backing members l 3 and it are fixedrigidly with respect to the tying .ro'ds and l2,'-it-'-is contemplated:that the openings' fl and '5 will begroovesnrstroughs .-cut.into' the sides of 1 a: particularcourse ofi bricks so that said rods are :laid into said grooves .as:the-.w'al1 is'bein'g built. In other cases,2the:backing..members, or one of them, may be pivotedztozpermit entry zintosany openingafter. the -1wall,..is .ibllilt. In still. other, cases, the. rods: may ibe threaded 'for engagement :by a nutiand xwasher. This, however, is conventional sand :of no importance .to my invention.

As one wall moves laterally withirespect-. t0ithe other wall, .the diskl l will-moverlaterally .within Within the will in no manner interfere with the operation of my device, either as to the firmness of its holding the walls together or as to its ability'to permit relative lateral movement. It will be evident that the-embodiment of'my invention here chosen as an example to illustrate V its principles may be varied widely to fit aconsiderable variety of circumstances, but all of said variations will be included within the scope of -my :hereinafter appended claims excepting as "said claims expressly provide "otherwise.

Having thus fully disclosed and described my invention, I claim:

-1. In means for holding a pair of dissimilarly expanding and contracting elements against movement away from each other while permitting limitedfrelative'movement thereof parallel to eachother; the combination: a first means engaging one element and a second means engaging the otherelementpa plate voperatively affiXGd, toisaid 'first:meansisubstantially parallel to one of ,said elements pmeansjdefining .a chamber substantially parallel to said;first, means;and

substantially surrounding, saidplate, said plate being ,of smaller dimension in all lateral directions than the corresponding'jdimen'sions .of. said chamber whereby .to permit:=-movementi.of. .said

plate withrespect'ithereto in anyjdirection paralielto saidllimiteid relativeimovenientjbutliolding it against movement: with -respeotitheretoinca direction perpendicular .t'o. s'ai'd limite'd .;.-.re1ative movement; and .said. lastmmeans ..operatively affixed to said 'secondtyin .means. 1

2; In meanslforlholding,agpair Rdfsdissim'ilarly expandingland contracting wallseagainstmovement away fromeach other =Wl'fi1B bl-mlttl1lg1lmited .movement .o'f ,said 'walls.;para1lel ito each other,lthegcoinbination: aihox member havinga chamber therein.substantiallycparallelto;thegneral plane of -said .wiillgandan openingthrough the. side i thereof a ,plate within said; chamber vsaid, plate. being of.=smallerjlateral dimension .in

all. directions than the..correspondingidimensioris of. said .chamber; meanslholding vone ..wall Leonnecte'cl-ito said plate.andmeans'ishol'dinggthe other wan connected.to;said=box.membe12 ",3..jIn.meansjfonholdinga pair of dissimilarly I expanding .and. contracting .iconstructionalglechamber! to therklimits.permittedtbythe.yvallsnf H said chamber. :In ;any: given; installation :it will be an easy'matter to provide said. chamber :large enough togpermit-whatever-movement is required. The dotted line in Figure 2 indicatesiia possible position of said disk after such movement.

In the event that it is desiredtqplace the two masonary walls in' contact witheaohother, it will be'a comparativel simplejobtqprovide: a recess,

in either orbothof said walls to;receive the parts of my'device parts 16,. 1, 18 and contentsthereof) which areiin Figure 1 shown as'occupying the, in-

termediate space 3. It will be evident that-this ,me'nts againstmovementmaway 'rmm' each other while permittingiimited movement.- .oiisaidaelemerits paralleito each ,othencthe'combination: a box. member havingla chamber -therein.,substantially parallelstol thelgeneral planeu oi gsaid elements; a platefwithin said chamber .saidgplate .be'ingof smaller lateral dimension.inall.;direcwithilatan'd parallel en'd walls. arid.an opening through. one ofv said "end walls; .a circulamplate within .said. chamber -,.sli,'clah1y Lengaging .theflat and parallelendwalls. f .said, chamberbutgbeing of less diameter :thansaid-chamber ea rodafiixed tosaid box member andrinzcooperationwith back ingsmeans;holdingrsaidybox.:memberrfixedlyewith respect to one wall a rod extending through said opening affixed to said plate and in cooperation with backing means holding said plate fixed with respect to said other wall; said plate movable within said chamber in a plane parallel to the plane of movement between said walls.

5. In means for holding a pair of structural walls against movement away from each other while permitting limited movement of said Walls substantially parallel to each other the combination: a box member having therein a chamber having an end wall parallel to the plane of movement to be permitted between said structura1 walls and an opening through said box wall; a plate within said chamber slid-ably engaging said box wall but being of less lateral extent in all directions than the corresponding extent of said chamber; means affixed to said box member holding it fixedly with respect to one of said walls; means extending through said opening affixed to said plate and holding said plate fixedly with respect to said other wall; said plate being movable within said chamber in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of movement between said walls.

6. In means for holding a pair of structural walls against movement away from or toward each other while permitting limited movement of said walls substantially parallel to each other, the combination: a plate held fixedly with respect to one of said walls; a second plate held fixedly with respect to the other of said walls closely adjacent and parallel to said first plate and being of smaller lateral extent in all directions than said first plate; means affixed to said first plate extending therefrom and overlapping said second plate by which at least partially to define a chamber of greater lateral extent in all directions than said plate whereby said plate will be movable within said chamber substantially parallel to the plane of movement between said Walls.

WILLIAM VANDER MAY. 

